Shortcuts to a Classic Onion Soup
The classic recipe for onion soup calls for homemade stock, prepared from beef bones and shank meat, slowly cooked along with carrots, onions, celery, seasonings and herbs. Sliced onions, sauteed in butter, are then simmered in the stock until the flavors blend.
When time is short, a respectable facsimile may be made using canned broth, particularly brands with reduced salt. Turn the recipe into soupe a l’oignon gratinee (onion soup gratineed with cheese) by baking it topped with toasted slices of French bread and cheese.
A key factor in either method is to slowly saute the onions in butter until deep golden brown and tender (Step 1). Sometimes recipes will include a small amount of sugar, which caramelizes and helps the onions brown.
After the onions have simmered in the stock, ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls (Step 2). Place slices of toasted French bread sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese on top of each serving (Step 3).
Add shredded Jack cheese (Step 4) then bake until the soup is bubbly and the cheese has melted and formed a brown crust (Step 5).
BAKED ONION SOUP
1 quart sliced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans beef broth
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 cup dry Sherry
Salt, pepper
12 small slices French bread
Grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound shredded Jack cheese
Saute onions and garlic in butter in large stockpot over low heat until browned and tender. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
Add beef and chicken broths. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add Sherry and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toast bread slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Ladle hot soup into individual oven-proof casseroles. Float 3 slices toasted bread on top of soup in each casserole. Sprinkle with Jack cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes or until soup is bubbly and cheese is browned. Makes 4 servings.
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